The first Jackson Lake Dam was a log-crib dam constructed in 1906–07 across the outlet of Jackson Lake, a natural lake. That dam raised the lake level by , but the dam failed in 1910. A new concrete and earthen dam was constructed in stages between 1911 raising the maximum lake level to above the lake's natural elevation, providing a storage capacity of . The new dam was designed by
Frank A. Banks, who would later supervise the construction of
Grand Coulee Dam. The reservoir was created by damming the outlet of the natural glacial
Jackson Lake, with the additional height creating a storage pool for the
Minidoka Project, which provides irrigation water from the Snake River for farmlands in Idaho. Jackson Lake stores and releases water which is collected by
Minidoka Dam and
American Falls Dam more than downstream for diversion to distribution canals. At the time of the dam's construction,
Jackson Hole and the
Teton Range were as yet unprotected from development. Grand Teton National Park was established in 1929, and excluded Jackson Lake. The lake was incorporated into
Jackson Hole National Monument when it was proclaimed by President
Franklin D. Roosevelt under the
Antiquities Act, and became a part of Grand Teton National Park in 1950 when the park was expanded to encompass the national monument lands. When the dam was built there was no attempt to clear the shores of the lake of standing timber, resulting in an unsightly band of dead trees when the waters rose. This vista, and the mudflats created by drawdown of lake waters, were cited in later years in successful arguments against reservoirs in
Yellowstone National Park. Construction personnel for the dam were housed at a temporary camp that dwarfed the nearby town of
Moran. Supplies came in from the
Grassy Lake Road north of the park, which runs west into Idaho to meet the nearest railhead at
Ashton, Idaho. ==Reinforcement==